OROVILLE — A 63-year-old Chico woman, who committed four offenses of driving under the influence in September through November 2022, was sentenced Wednesday to five years of formal probation supervision and alcohol monitoring after serving two months in jail.
Gail Ann Hemmingsen had previously pleaded “no contest” to four separate DUI offenses and a misdemeanor offense of attempted criminal threats. The multiple DUI offenses and criminal threats stemmed from a string of drunken incidents Hemmingsen accumulated beginning Sept. 11, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.
“She is a sad case but a dangerous case,” Ramsey said.
Hemmingsen ran into the rear of another motorist’s vehicle that evening while driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.20% — more than double the 0.08% legal limit, according to a release from the district attorney. The other driver, who was idling at a red light, suffered only moderate injuries. Hemmingsen posted felony bond of $75,000.
Hemmingsen was driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.14% in the early morning of Oct. 13 when she parked outside the Chico Police Department and honked her horn to get the attention of officers inside, the release said. Bad idea — they noticed she appeared and smelled intoxicated, and arrested her on the spot. She was released on a citation for a misdemeanor DUI.
After failing to receive speedy service she had demanded at a downtown Chico bar Oct. 25, Hemmingsen left the bar and returned with a mallet, threatening to kill the bartender, according to the release. She was arrested, charged and jailed after a judge refused to grant Hemmingsen an own-recognizance release. She was able to post a $50,000 bond, however.
Chico police responded to a vandalism report at a Chico bar the evening of Nov. 16, discovering Hemmingsen had let the air out of the tires of one patron there, and was driving her own vehicle in the parking lot with a 0.08% blood-alcohol level, according to the release. She was arrested, booked into jail, but released again on a citation for a misdemeanor DUI.
Hemmingsen was again driving while intoxicated the evening of Nov. 23 after being ejected from another Chico bar, according to the release. She had been in court at the Butte County Courthouse in Oroville earlier that day, appearing on the DUI and threat cases filed against her. Based on her repeated DUIs and danger to the community, Hemmingsen was booked in the Butte County Jail.
However, she posted a $75,000 bond just hours after the court had ordered her into custody, setting the stage for the nighttime arrest, according to the release. Hemmingsen had already driven away from the bar but Chico police officers attempted to stop her. When she continued to drive, officers placed a spike strip to halt her movement. Police contacted an on-call judge that night; the judge set bail at $500,000 to cause Hemmingsen to appear before a judge in court.
Ramsey said Hemmingsen remained in jail until she appeared in court Nov. 29; she remained in custody until her Dec. 29 sentencing. Ramsey said his office requested prison time for Hemmingsen, considering her danger to the public. However, the judge tried Hemmingsen on formal probation, citing her lack of a criminal record prior to these charges; her career as a local school speech therapist; a diagnosed mental health issue for which she had stopped her medication prior to the recent spree; and her stated remorse for her actions.
Hermmingsen received credit for the two months she had already spent in jail, but was ordered to pay restitution of more than $6,000 to the other motorist whose car she crashed into as well as court fines of more than $8,400. The judge also ordered her to wear a GPS ankle monitor that would, in part, document any alcohol consumption, as she was prohibited from entering any bars or having any alcohol or marijuana. Her driver’s license was suspended and she was ordered to stay away from the bartender she had threatened.
